Italian born author and conservationist Kuki Gallmann was being treated in a Nairobi hospital on Sunday after being shot in the stomach near her lodge in Kenya.

Ms Gallmann, 73, who wrote the bestselling novel “I Dreamed of Africa”, was driving in her vehicle when she was ambushed.

She was rushed to the Nanyuki County Hospital for emergency treatment before being flown to Aga Khan hospital in Nairobi for specialised treatment on Sunday morning, her daughter, Sveva Makena, 26, said.

She was in a "stable condition" on Sunday evening.

Ms Makena said earlier this month that the Laikipia Plateau was under pressure from "noxious politics and drought".

"We remain positive that this wave of terror and mayhem will pass once elections and the rains have come and that the government are doing what they can to restore law and order one step at a time," she said.

Nomadic cattle herders have been carrying out raids against Kenya's wildlife conservancies and private farms in the drought stricken Laikipia region, which is near to the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy where Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton in 2010.

The attack on Ms Gallmann comes after former British army officer and lodge owner Tristan Voorspuy, 61, was shot dead by herdsmen in the area on March 5.

The Laikipia region, which is spread over around 10,000 square kilometres, is a base for many of Kenya's wealthiest landowners.

The attack on Ms Gallmann's lodge was believed to be a reprisal after Kenya security forces shot dead cattle that belonged to the herders days before.

The Kenyan government sent forces into the area after the murder of Mr Voorspuy, leading to skirmishes that have left dozens of herdsmen dead and thousands of locals displaced in the violence.

Hundreds of herders have been arrested this year, according to police.

Ms Gallmann said in March that the attack on her property, which was now being guarded by Kenyan troops, had nothing to do with grazing land.

"We have grazing land for the community in our north eastern corner but they are coming from all over the place," she said. The herders had been killing wild animals like elephant and giraffe indiscriminately, she said.

Land owners in the area blame the violence on local politicians who have been using racially charged language and inciting locals to herd their cattle onto privately owned land ahead as a way of boosting their popularity ahead of an election scheduled for August.

The Laikipia farmer's association (LFA) chairman Martin Evans said the attacks were being propagated by a "handful of inciters".

"For months, these criminals have been rampaging around with their illegal weapons, destroying lives and livelihoods," he said.

"It is said that law enforcement officers have been subjected to the same wanton attacks as civilians while attempting to carry out their duties."

Earlier in March, the MP for Laikipia North, Matthew Lempurkel, was arrested in Nairobi for inciting the murder of Mr Voorspuy, who was shot dead by herdsman at after travelling by horse to inspect two of his cottages that had been set on fire.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta condemned the shooting of Ms Gallmann, warning politicians in the area not to inflame temperatures through "reckless rhetoric".

"Politicians encouraging invasions of privately-owned property or attacks on individuals can expect strong deterrent action in terms of the law," he said in a statement on Sunday afternoon.